


we fill it up with only two

by timkon



Category: You Could Make a Life Series - Taylor Fitzpatrick
Genre: 2018 Winter Olympics, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - High School, Friends to Lovers, Ice Skating, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-05-25
Packaged: 2019-04-29 22:43:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14482809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timkon/pseuds/timkon
Summary: Georgie likes to think that he fell in love with Robbie the first time they skated a full routine together.





	we fill it up with only two

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rvd](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rvd/gifts).



> 3 times georgie wanted to kiss robbie on the ice, + 1 time he did (and one time he went above and beyond)
> 
> see the end for warnings.

Georgie likes to think that he fell in love with Robbie the first time they skated a full routine together.

They were only eleven years old at the time. Georgie's parents had moved all the way to Boston - supposedly for better job opportunities, but Georgie can't help feeling guilty that the lack of figure skating trainers in Providence played a part in them uprooting.

He'd gone through some ridiculous number of figure skating partners before, mostly girls but the occasional guy as well. They were all fine skaters, but some were a lot more competitive than he was. He loved figure skating, more than anything, but it didn't feel as fun when the only goal for his partner was gold.

Robbie had two missing teeth and looked more like he was ready for a fight than pair skating when they were first introduced with the way he scowled. There was some awkwardness when they skated their first couple of laps but when once they started goofing about, practising jumps and lifts all the while, they clicked immediately. Georgie wasn't dumb, he knew that you don't have to get along super well to be great on the ice but part of him was holding out for this.

A couple of sessions in, they finally got to practice a short routine. Georgie's parents wanted them both to adjust before entering them in local competitions so there was no real rush before then. 

When they finished, Georgie beamed at Robbie and Robbie beamed right back at him despite the fact that it wasn't even a particularly complex routine.

Preteen Georgie was unconcerned about romance so he knows that it wasn't love at first sight, on a conscious level, at least. But he knew that it was the start of something special, for sure.

 

\--

 

They win the Junior Grand Prix Final and Georgie feels like he's floating on air, even though he was the one doing all the lifting. If the grin splitting his face is any indication, Robbie feels the same too.

It feels like magic, the way they know where the other is on the ice and how to compensate for each other. The obvious answer is years of muscle memory on the ice and hours of relentless practice. But that doesn't explain the way Georgie has catalogued every movement Robbie makes, how he knows intuitively what it means when he crosses his arms like that, or when he makes that expression that means he's exhausted but still wants to practice just once more.

The flush on Robbie's face, how his gelled-down hair has sprung loose so some of it is dangling over his left eye, Robbie's right hand tightly grasping Georgie's left as they take a bow - he's the most beautiful thing Georgie's ever seen.

Oh, Georgie is _fucked._

 

\--

 

Robbie finally loses his patience about twenty minutes into their practice, when it becomes clear that Georgie is still hesitating on their lifts. It's their first practice since Robbie was cleared to do full routines instead of more basic on-ice moves. Georgie's spent the last two months replaying that bad throw over and over again, analysing all of his fuck-ups and the moment Robbie's ankle collapsed from under him. So, maybe he's not as over it as Robbie is.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to treat me like a fucking doll? Shit happens, that's skating."

Georgie frowns. "I just don't want to risk anything, okay? We can't afford to lose the time if I fuck up like last time."

"That's stupid."

"Well I'm sorry for not wanting you to get hurt!" Georgie shouts, giving in to the fight. "I was fucking terrified seeing you hit the ice after that throw, okay?"

"Georgie," Robbie says. He sounds deadly serious and Georgie immediately straightens up, not used to hearing that tone from him. "Hesitating is how people get injured in the first place. It'll be fine."

Robbie grabs Georgie by the shoulders, looking him in the eyes, and says, "I trust you."

He's overwhelmed with a whole mix of other emotions he couldn't possibly detangle, except for how much he's in love with Robbie which is par for the course at this point. All he can do then - all he _lets_ himself do is nod and skate back into their starting positions.

 

\--

 

It's (yet another) late night practice.

With senior year coming to a chaotic end in only a few months time, they've both been on edge lately. Doubts about whether either of them wanted to go to college, what might happen if one of them decided to go to school and the other wanted to pursue ice skating full time. The fact that Georgie keeps fucking up their new routine hasn't helped at all, though it's been a while since the last time Robbie blew up at him. Robbie's been a little distant off the ice recently and at least if he's yelling during a practice, it means he isn't taking out his anger on someone else who probably deserves it less. He'll take what he can get for now.

That being said, when Georgie falls for the third run-through in a row, he's irrationally annoyed at the semi-concerned look on Robbie's face when he leans down to offer Georgie a hand.

Maybe it's the tension, maybe it's the fact that they're all alone. Georgie does the first thing he can think of - he grabs Robbie's hand, tugs him down onto the ice, and uses his right hand to cradle Robbie's face as he leans up to kiss him. Robbie only gets out a short "Hey!" at being tugged down before they're kissing. It takes a second but Robbie steadies himself with one hand gripping Georgie's shirt and the other pulling his head to deepen the kiss. It feels like forever but probably only lasts thirty seconds before Robbie suddenly pulls off and puts some distance between them.

"What was that for?" Robbie asks, straight to the point as usual.

"What do you think?"

"I-," Robbie starts. "But you're not gay?"

"Do you know many straight guys who kiss their best friends?" Georgie says. He tries not to dwell on the fact that Robbie's first response was to ask about why Georgie would be attracted to him and not vice-versa, but he can feel his heart beat a little quicker as he waits for a reply. 

Several different expressions cross Robbie's face as he tries to process this information. They're both sat on the ice, barely a foot apart and facing each other so Georgie can see for himself the uncertainty.

Before he can lose his courage, Georgie reaches for Robbie's hand - tenderly this time. "Hey."

Robbie stares back at him, then glances down at their linked hands without saying a word.

"I like you," Georgie says, "A lot. Full homo."

Without missing a beat, Robbie groans. "I can't believe you just said 'full homo', you fuckin' dweeb."

Georgie can feel a smile starting to tug at his lips and soon enough they're both laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. It's like any other practice, except for how Robbie keeps catching his eye and he doesn't know how he ever thought Robbie wasn't as far gone as he was.

"I've been stupidly in love with you for years, in case you missed that," Robbie says. It sounds like a fact and a promise - an unspoken vow that they're in it for the long haul.

Georgie can't wait.

 

\--

 

Pyeongchang.

The world's eyes are on them but all Georgie can think about while they take a bow after their performance is how he wouldn't want to be here with anyone else, medals be damned. Over a decade of practices, Mario Kart tournaments, and medals all leading here where they made it despite the odds stacked against them. It's indescribable, really, just how lucky he feels to get to have this.

Georgie skates off with Robbie right beside him, happy with the performance they put on. In the midst of their coaches bringing them their skate guards and miscellaneous personal items, he makes an impulse decision and reaches into his bag quickly to grab something which he slips into his pocket, before handing the bag back.

Robbie's knee is bouncing up and down where he's sat on the bench so Georgie makes sure to bump him with own to let him know they're in it together. When their total score is announced, he immediately has Robbie in his ear yelling "Fuck yes!" as he grabs onto Georgie's shoulder, shaking it madly. 

The pure elation means it only takes a small dose of courage for Georgie to extricate himself from Robbie's grip and to drop down on one knee on the spot.

Robbie looks confused for a split second before he sees Georgie reaching into his pocket, a small velvet box in his hand. His eyes switch quickly from the box to Georgie's face and back before he opens his mouth and goes, "Holy fucking shit."

Georgie can feel his grin permanently sticking to his face as he opens the box to reveal the engagement ring and chirps, "Hey, we're live. Keep it PG, Bardi."

"Shut _up_ , oh my god. Yes, yes, come up here, you idiot."

Georgie is laughing as he's hauled up by Robbie and immediately enveloped in the tightest hug of all time. "You didn't even let me say it!"

"Well then, talk faster next time!"

Georgie pulls back slightly so that his face is an inch or so away from Robbie's. "Roberto Lombardi, will you marry me?"

"George Kenneth Dineen," Georgie pulls a face as Robbie pauses slightly for dramatic effect, "The third. There isn't a single world where I could say no to that."

And well, what more is there to say after that? This time, Robbie reels him in for a quick peck - it's a live event, after all - and they get ready to face the world outside of their own little bubble.

**Author's Note:**

> warning: there's a public proposal that was not discussed prior to it happening, but is welcomed by all parties involved.
> 
> right after georgie proposes and the next pair start their routine, jake immediately finds them like a hawk and the first thing he says is "i can't believe you guys stole my idea!" a beat later, he adds "also, congrats!! i'm so happy for you!"
> 
> shoutout to laura for not shutting up about figure skating during the Olympics this year and gladly enabling our wild Olympic AUs; I got..... perhaps too invested in this.


End file.
